Bills’ rookie corners Kaiir Elam, Christian Benford on the spot

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

The Buffalo Bills can feel extremely confident about the construction of their team. They’re not just one of the NFL‘s most talented teams but also one of the deepest. 

But that doesn’t mean their roster isn’t without a weakness or two. If there’s one position where they face uncertainty, it’s at cornerback.

The Bills placed cornerback Tre’Davious White, who is recovering from ACL surgery, on the physically unable to perform list, which means he’ll miss at least four weeks. He is their top option at the position and is the kind of player who makes life easy for his defensive coordinator — and makes life difficult for the opposing offensive coordinator. 

Buffalo knew White had a chance of missing the start of the regular season. As the Bills head into 2022, they will be without both their starters from 2021: White and Levi Wallace, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency.

The great news for Buffalo is that the team’s rookie cornerbacks played well during the preseason. First-rounder and Gators product Kaiir Elam has been a standout. But the biggest surprise has been Christian Benford, a sixth-round selection out of Villanova. Benford has arguably played better than Elam in the preseason.

Over the three weeks of preseason play, Benford allowed one catch for nine yards on two targets in 62 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He also had a pass breakup. In 59 coverage snaps, Elam faced six targets and allowed three catches for 30 yards. He logged two pass breakups. Neither player allowed a touchdown.

But here’s the bad news: That was the preseason. And it’s tough to project how these rookies will fare in the regular season. That’s why the Bills played the rookies so much (and veterans like Dane Jackson and Taron Johnson so little). Buffalo wanted to expose the rookie cornerbacks to as much preseason game action as possible.

“Even though they’re doing some good things now, when you get to the regular season, there’s a big bullseye on a rookie corner’s chest,” Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. “There are more things thrown at you. We’re trying to throw what we can at them at this time of year, but there’s nothing like being in game situations. … There are some things coming that there’s no way to simulate. They just have to go out and perform.”

It is unlikely the Bills start both rookies in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, though it is possible. The Bills will likely work with Jackson and Elam on the outside. Jackson was solid but not stellar in 2021 as a backup. He played 291 coverage snaps and allowed 262 yards on 19 receptions while facing 34 targets, per PFF. Jackson, a 2020 seventh-round pick, doesn’t have that much more experience than the rookies.

The one spot that’s certain is the slot. In Johnson, the Bills have an experienced and trustworthy starter. Last season, he allowed 36 catches on 67 targets (53.7%) for 423 yards with one interception and two touchdowns on 553 coverage snaps, per PFF.

In the meantime, Buffalo will have the tough choice of which cornerbacks to place on the outside. And there may not be many tougher weeks to throw the youngsters into action. The Rams are fresh off a Super Bowl win, and their passing offense does not look any less intimidating this year. To go with quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp, the Rams added veteran wideout Allen Robinson. L.A. will also have Cam Akers back after he spent nearly all of last season on injured reserve with an Achilles injury.

Frazier said he liked the physicality he saw from his rookies. He also liked their discipline with their eyes and awareness in zone defense — and that will be a learning process for both of them considering they spent a lot of time playing man coverage in college. Leading up to next Thursday’s season opener, the Bills will do everything they can to provide the young defensive backfield with varied looks.

“You want them to grow and develop. You have to keep putting them out there in different situations,” Frazier said, adding: “There’s nothing like playing in a live game.”

Players with similar pedigrees to Elam — with first-round status and SEC experience — have flopped. Players with a less impressive résumé than Benton have thrived. As well as they played in the preseason, the regular season is an entirely different animal. The Rams’ wideouts are as formidable of a tandem as there is. Johnson and Jackson will spend time on Kupp, who moves in and out of the slot. The other cornerback, likely Elam, would then take on Robinson. 

Elam thinks he’s ready for the challenge.

“[I’m feeling] super-duper prepared,” he said after the preseason finale. “It took me a while to get down the fundamentals that my coaches have been emphasizing in training camp, but once I got it and became more confident, it showed in my game.”

One of the reasons why these cornerbacks have confidence is that they’re not going to play on an island. They will probably play plenty of zone defense. And then they’ll get help from the team’s elite safeties: Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Elam has expressed how appreciative he is to have those two veterans communicating before the snap. They make sure — in those crucial moments at the line of scrimmage — that everyone understands his assignment. After the snap, they are Elam’s safety net.

“What they’re doing is just mind-blowing for me,” he said. “I’ve never experienced nothing like that.”

The first few weeks will be telling for Buffalo’s cornerback group. When White returns, he should instantly solidify the unit.

“There’s so many pluses to his game — his competitive fire, his ability to be able to match up on the top receivers in our league,” Frazier said of White. “That’s rare to have a guy like that — the confidence that he plays with, the takeaways that he gets, the punt job, the interceptions and then the intangibles of his leadership. Guys follow him not necessarily because of how verbal he is but by his example. Whether you’re a linebacker or defensive lineman, you see his work ethic and it becomes infectious.”

Though White is not practicing yet, Frazier said he’s “seen the coach in” the veteran cornerback, who has “been real positive” and “an encouragement” to the younger players at his position.

Even when White takes back his mantle as CB1, there’s still some reason for concern. Athletes often experience inconsistent seasons after an ACL injury. And then there’s still the question of CB2, particularly if it’s a rookie in that spot. The Bills want to play 22 weeks of football and make a Super Bowl appearance. First-year players have a tendency of hitting the rookie wall, with the college season going — at most — 15 games. There are factors beyond Buffalo’s control.

With so much veteran talent, the truth is the Bills have built a defense that might not even need elite play from their cornerbacks. And that’s a good thing, because there’s reason to believe they will experience inconsistency at the position during the course of 2022.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.